Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Nymylan, Korak, корякский язык, нымылан, Korjakische, Koræiki, Koriak,
CLASSIFICATION		Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Chukotkan
ORTHOGRAPHY		Cyrillic script
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		kpy
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Apokinskij Cavcuvenskij Gin Itkan Kamenskij Palan Paren Xatyrskij
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		Like the speakers of Chukchee, the Koryak population is divided into two ecological groups known as the Coastal Koryak and the Reindeer or Chavchuven Koryak; in this case, dialectal differences are also involved.

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Information from: “Red Book on Endangered Languages: Northeast Asia” . Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen (2000)

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~3,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
~5,000
CHILDREN
very few

DATE OF INFO: 1993

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

children speakers: very few, although the situation may vary depending on locality

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Russian

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

degree of speakers' competence: getting rudimentary among the younger generation, which is completely bi- or monolingual in Russian

Scripts (Writing system)

Cyrillic script

More on Orthography

Koryak has a written standard (in Cyrillic script), but education is conducted in Russian only

PLACES: Russia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: on northern Kamchatka, from the Okhotsk Sea to the Bering Sea, extending to the upper Anadyr basin in the north; administratively mainly within the Koryak Autonomous District of Kamchatka Oblast, Russia

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,500
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
8,743
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
3,500 (1997 M. Krauss). Ethnic population: 8,743 (2002 census)

DATE OF INFO: 1997

PLACES: Russia;

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
2,000
Native speakers worldwide

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
3,500
Native speakers worldwide

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available
4,856
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
9,242
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
In 1989 it was reported that 52.5%% of the ethnic population were native speakers.

DATE OF INFO: 1989

DOMAINS OF USE

MORE ON VITALITY

Mixed settlements, collective farms and schools, and in addition, Russian-language media, administration, culture and ideology led to the further predominance of Russian. The incidence of intermarriages in the 1960s diminished the importance of the Koryak language in the family circle.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

Russian

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

The prestige of the Koryak language is low, the traditions are considered to be ridiculous and any distinctive ethnic feature is held up as a sign of inferiority.

Scripts (Writing system)

cyrillic script

PLACES: Siberia, Russian Federation

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: In the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula and on the adjoining mainland from the Taigonos Peninsula to the Bering Sea.

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
~3,000
Native speakers worldwide

DATE OF INFO: 1989

TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY
Scripts (Writing system): Cyrillic script

PLACES: Siberia

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Northern Kanchatka, Okhotsk Sea to the Bering Sea, Upper Anadyr Basin.

		2007	Europe and North Asia	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	211-282	C. Moseley	London & New York: Routledge				Tapani Salminen	Salminen, Tapani. 2007. "Europe and North Asia." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 211-282. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD		~3,000	1989	1000-9999		education	Russian			Severely Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14				Siberia	Northern Kanchatka, Okhotsk Sea to the Bering Sea, Upper Anadyr Basin.
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer	Oxford University Press	New York				2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																		61.0,167.0
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis	SIL International	Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	8,743	3,500	1997	1000-9999	3,500 (1997 M. Krauss). Ethnic population: 8,743 (2002 census)					Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Russia;
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger				UNESCO Publishing	Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		2,000		1000-9999						Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)							61.8561,168.6621
		2000	Red Book on Endangered Languages: Northeast Asia						UNESCO	http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/nasia_report.html	Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen	Juha Janhunen; Tapani Salminen. 2000. "UNESCO RED BOOK ON ENDANGERED LANGUAGES: NORTHEAST ASIA." Online: http://www.helsinki.fi/~tasalmin/nasia_report.html		~5,000	~3,000	1993	1000-9999			Russian	degree of speakers' competence: getting rudimentary among the younger generation, which is completely bi- or monolingual in Russian	all of younger generation	Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	children speakers: very few, although the situation may vary depending on locality		13	Russia	on northern Kamchatka, from the Okhotsk Sea to the Bering Sea, extending to the upper Anadyr basin in the north; administratively mainly within the Koryak Autonomous District of Kamchatka Oblast, Russia
			World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			3,500		1000-9999						Threatened (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
9985-936922		1993	The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire			Andrew Humphreys and Krista Mits				http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook		"The Red Book of the Peoples of the Russian Empire." edited by Andrew Humphreys and Krista Mits. Online: http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook.		9,242	4,856	1989	1000-9999	In 1989 it was reported that 52.5%% of the ethnic population were native speakers.	Education, Media, Administration, Popular Culture	Russian	The prestige of the Koryak language is low, the traditions are considered to be ridiculous and any distinctive ethnic feature is held up as a sign of inferiority.		Endangered (40 percent certain, based on the evidence available)		Mixed settlements, collective farms and schools, and in addition, Russian-language media, administration, culture and ideology led to the further predominance of Russian. The incidence of intermarriages in the 1960s diminished the importance of the Koryak language in the family circle.	14		Siberia, Russian Federation	In the northern part of the Kamchatka Peninsula and on the adjoining mainland from the Taigonos Peninsula to the Bering Sea.

Koryak

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~3,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,856

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~3,000

Discussion

Koryak

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~3,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

2,000

Threatened

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

3,500

Endangered

40 percent certain, based on the evidence available

4,856

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

~3,000

Discussion

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Sources of information

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